MONARCH - Discontinued

Chapter 8 - Attacker

         Ava thought about her brother, Kerá. He said he was going... south, right? Checking the pouches on her belt that was on the nightstand, Ava's fingers came into contact with a folded piece of paper. It was night, and she and Sinbad had been treated to a large bedroom that they had to share.

         Ava was totally chill with this, even though she loved him and was a little self - conscious. Sinbad was asleep, and Ava couldn't help but be jealous of how easily he did it. It's always been a problem with her; Ava could never fall asleep as easy as others.

         She did a little research and read a couple of scrolls and she deemed that she either has insomnia or was insane, and Ava couldn't help but believe is was the latter one.

Ava unfolded the note as quietly as possible and read it, relived that she didn't make the mistake of leaving it back at her and Kerá house.

         South

         Yep, south, and the place she was at was littered with snow. Ava groaned to herself flopping down and sighing, defeated. She muttered a couple of random theories to herself, but gave up. She reread the note, her eyes slowly getting heavier.

         What if Kerá has been lying?

         The thought was enough to keep her awake.

         Ava was getting worried at how long she had been awake, loyal to her sleeping schedule. She didn't want to be tired in the morning, she just wanted to sleep.

         Her eyes grew frustratingly watery at the desperation to turn in, like they had so many times. Ava scoffed quietly, rubbing her eyes furiously. What if Kerá hid some, like, secret message... Ava was too dumb for this, she couldn't decode anything herself.

         She wasn't that creative or smart, but if she asked for help... NO, she couldn't. She couldn't ask Sinbad... but why not? Well... because... she couldn't. She just - didn't want to burden him with her own problems.

         She didn't know him that well; she didn't know who his parents were and if he had siblings or if any of them were alive. And she - she didn't want to stop him. She didn't want to force him to someplace because she didn't even know where that place was!

         Had Kerá simply went strait south? Ava hoped he didn't. There was such a small chance that they would see each other again that it made Ava's chest hurt and her heart beat faster.

         Tears dropped onto the paper, echoing a little too loudly for her taste. It smudged the paper along with a couple of words. Ava cringed, sobbing to herself, her chest cramping. Her ears were pinned forwards, the feathers tickling her cheeks as tears ran down them quickly.

         Ava wiped her nose with her sleeve, her hair - that was down - falling over her face. She didn't even want to know how hideous she looked when she cried. She used to be able to get away with it, saying it's either allergies or just not looking like she cried a few minutes ago.

         She missed those days, but she hated them too. All of her mistakes were so embarrassing and stupid, and Ava teared up just thinking about them. She was such a crybaby... so fucking sensitive that it was stupid, she was stupid.

         Everything about her was wrong, either stupid or fat or weird. Ava sat with her legs crossed, her hair sticking onto her face from the tears. She's never really cried this long ever since... that night.

         Where she opened her mouth to silently screech about how alone she was in reality, that judging by the life she lived in, everything after she died would be black, nothingness.